Giuliani resigns from law firm to focus on work for Trump

May 10 (UPI) — Rudy Giuliani announced Thursday he resigned from his law firm to focus on work related to President Donald Trump’s legal team.

The former mayor of New York City was already on temporary leave from the Greenberg Traurig firm when he joined President Donald Trump’s lawyers for matters related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe last month, but in a statement Thursday he said the move would be permanent. Mueller is investigating claims of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump’s campaign colluded in that effort.

“In light of the pressing demands of the Mueller investigation, I believe it is in everyone’s best interest that I make it a permanent resignation,” Giuliani said. “This way, my sole concentration can be on this critically important matter for our country.”

Giuliani joined the team nearly one month after the resignation of John Dowd, the former personal attorney to Trump for issues related to Mueller’s investigation.

In a statement, he lauded Giuliani’s career, including his leadership as New York’s mayor in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“I have a great deal of respect for the Mayor’s incredible career and what he has done for New York City and our country for many years and consider him a friend,” Rosenbaum said in a statement.

During his brief time working as a Trump attorney, Giuliani has revealed the president reimbursed his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for $130,000 in hush money regarding his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.

Though the reimbursement was made only a month before Trump’s 2016 election, Giuliani has said it “was not campaign money,” and therefore it was not a campaign finance violation.